Facing sustained public protests, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday (May 4) stepped back from its push for mandatory prepaid smart electricity meters. The decision is seen as the result of several factors, including the protests, regulatory pushback, and shifting policy signals from the Centre, as well as political calculations ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. The policy was initially aimed at improving billing efficiency and reducing losses. Sources said that the state’s aggressive rollout of prepaid smart meters over the past year and a half was rooted in its interpretation of the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) 2022 regulation notification. According to Avadhesh Verma, Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Electricity Consumers Forum and a member of the Central Electricity Advisory Committee, the move can be traced to clause 3(b) of the notification. It said consumers in areas with communication networks “shall” be supplied electricity through smart meters operating in prepayment mode.…